23 species Vespula is a small genus of social wasps, widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Along with members of their sister genus Dolichovespula, they are collectively known by the common name yellowjackets (or yellow jackets) in North America.

Vespula species have a shorter oculomalar space (shown in the figure below right) and a more pronounced tendency to nest underground than Dolichovespula.

See also: The venom of Vespula is mostly composed of antigen 5, hyaluronidase, and phospholipase.

[King et al 1983 1] A high degree of similarity occurs between immunogenic fractions of different Vespula species.